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 Chinese Internet users, AP A majority of Chinese Net users go online via broadband China now has the world's largest Internet-using population, say official figures.
More than 253 million people in the country are now online, according to statistics from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC). The latest official figures put users at 338 million. The figure is higher than the 223 million that the US mustered in June, according to Nielsen Online. Internet penetration in the US stands at 71% compared to 19% in China suggesting it will eventually vastly outstrip the US.
 The development is significant because the US has had the largest Internet-using population since records of how many people were online started to be kept. "This is the first time the number has drastically surpassed the United States, becoming the world's number one," said a statement from the CNNIC, the nation's official Internet monitoring body.
The 2008 figure is up 56% in a year, said CNNIC. Analysts expect the total to grow by about 18% per annum and hit 490 million by 2012. About 95% of those going online connect via high-speed links.
Take up of broadband has been boosted by deals offered by China's fixed line phone firms as they fight to win customers away from mobile operators. China's mobile phone-using population stands at about 500 million people.
The year 2008 saw rapid development and wide application of the Internet in China. At the end of June, Chinese Internet users hit 338 million, the most in the world. That is 80 million more Internet users than in 2007, according to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).
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